Spiti Valley Trip 2017 : A Few Important Tips

Spiti Valley Trip 2017 : A friend of mine, Partha Bhai, returned a while ago from his Spiti valley trip in Mahindra Scorpio. He stumbled across my blog, I helped him plan his trip in any way I could and he was kind enough to share some very useful information upon his return. Copy pasting his updates here in a separate post in order to help everyone heading towards Spiti.

First the road conditions

1. Dalhousie-Khajjiar is a breeze and roads are fine. A small stretch approaching Khajjiar is a bit rough but nothing major.

2. Dharamsala and Mcleodgangall good. No blocks anywhere.

3. Dharamsala to Jibhi via Palampur all clear. Roads are narrow and steep as you approach Jibhi but smooth and clear

4. Important : From Jibhi while crossing Jalori Passthe road is in very poor state.The bad stretch starts about 5km before Sojha and continues onto the other side for a very long stretch. At some points it’s a dirt road. Repairs have started and we saw road repair crews all along the stretch.

5. Important : Stretch along Baspa river before Bethal is in bad shape. Enjoy a bumpy and dusty ride for an elongated stretch

Roads in Kinnaur

6. The main road entering Sarahan is BLOCKED. The base of the bridge is being strengthened. We used a 7 km not existant dirt road as a work around. This starts after you cross the bridge post State Bank at Jelori. You go ahead for a couple of km and then you will see a school followed by a small store on the main highway. Look for a dirt road climbing on the right. It’s a terrible path but everyone is using it including public buses. Hats off to the drivers. Proceed with extreme caution.

There is space for only one car so be prepared to reverse on a steep slope along a dirt road when needed. A Innova in front of us developed a flat tire. The path comes out at ITBP cantonment just ahead of Sarahan. It does save a lot of time but might not be everyone’s cup of tea

7. Sarahan To Chitkulis ok till about 5 km before Sangla. There are patches which are bad but tolerable. Personally I found the Sangla stretch quite hair raising in terms of ghats, valleys and sharp turns. About 5 km before Sangla the road disappears. The entire stretch to Chitkul is a broken road where all your patience , car suspension, tyres and low gear driving skills will be tested.You cannot go faster than 15 to 20 kmph. However the scenery is amazing. I completely second Vargis. This has to be the best hill station that is there. We loved it so much that we modified our itinerary to spend an additional night there.

Roads in Spiti

8. Chitkul to Nako– Once you bump your way out of Chitkul and Sangla and take the Karcham Dam turn off things look good till you get to Powari. Post that forget about getting any roads. For about 15 km post the Rekong Peo turnoff all you get is dirt roads, stones, and glimpses of a road. From Ribba – Spello it is an utter disaster. The roads resemble a warzone. My sincere thanks to the engineers at Mahindra for building the Scorpio. The car can take some hammering and still keep going and what power for the climbs !! I for the life of me could not understand how the numerous Alto’s on the road were surviving.

The roads are basically terrible till Pooh. Terrible here being an understatement. Post Pooh sense prevails and roads improve till Nako. This includes the Kazigs before Nako. Overall I took 7 hours from Chitkul to Nako including toilet breaks and lunch

9. The stretch from Spello to Pooh is undergoing work by the BRO team. Heavy machinery work is on and periodically roads can get blocked by work crews. To avoid this one can travel on a Sunday as the labour is on holiday on that day

10. Road widening work is ongoing around Khab and we saw notices of blasting schedules. Some time can also be lost over here.

After Nako

11. From Nako to Tabo, the road is decent. If done at a stretch on a dedicated basis it takes about 2 – 2.5 hours. If you wish to see the mummy at Giu you need to ear mark 1.5 hr. The 11km stretch heading to Giu is in bad shape. Again repair work is underway but the road is narrow and broken.

12. On my way to Tabo i made a halt at Chango and got my tyre fixed. My second puncture during the entire route, the first being at Dalhousie. There are a couple of good garages available here and the people running the show are very helpful. If you wish you can also purchase diesel here in jerrycan, though i cannot validate the quality of the same

13. Tabo is beautiful and our stay at the Tabo Monastery guest house was a nice touch

14. Unfortunately due to Time constraints, we could go no further. We turned back and headed to Kalpa. Kaza is remaining and gives me a reason to come back. Locals told me that that road to Kaza is in fair condition and no major challenges foreseen

On the Way Back

15. For Kalpa, the approach road via Rekong Peo is in good condition. It’s a steep road but the road is quite ok.

16. From Kalpa we hit the road to Shimla via Narkanda. Again road conditions are quite good, the challenge here was the steep climb and narrow roads. As you approach Thanedar and Narkanda the traffic increases and you will spend significant amount of time, making way for the oncoming vehicle or reversing to make way

17. While climbing NarkandaI saw a milestone that said 10 Km to Sarahan. I guess there is a way to Sarahan from here and could be a workaround to the approach road issue that I had mentioned in my earlier post for Sarahan

18. Shimla roads as expected were quite good and not much to report here. From Shimla to Delhi on the return stretch I cam across road widening work around Kalka. If you travel early in the morning you wont face any delays, else there can be some traffic

Palampur – Rupayan Homestay. ( Booked via AirBnB ) – 1500/- Per night ( Food Extra). Good value for money. Rooms are spacious and clean bathrooms. Good place, but not a true home stay. More of a hotel.

Jibhi– The Green AlpineJibhi, by WoodRose Camp ( Booked via AirBnB ) – 3000/- Food Inclusive. Very Good place, but not a true home stay. More of a hotel.

Conclusion:

I am sure this information will be helpful for anyone planning a trip to Spiti in near future. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask Partha Bhai in his thread at our Community Forum and I am sure he will be glad to answer. You can also ask in the comments section below.

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Not much to write about me really except for that I love to travel around whenever I can and to wherever I can. This blog is just a small attempt to share my travel experiences with the world. Hope you like it !!!

18 comments

hi vargis
i have planned a 9 day trip ( from 2nd october to 11th of october) to spiti from delhi and i want to complete the circle but i’m confused as which route to take first? manali-kaza-shimla or shimla-kaza-manali? ( considering the fact that im going in october month) i’m doubtful as if i take shimla route first thn there are chance that manali route will not be open. what do you think? please suggest something

Hello Heena – You can take the Shimla route first and coming back via Manali. Chances are that Kunzum will remain open by 10th. I would however still recommend going via Manali because the camps at Chandratal will wrap up by 7th or 8th of this month. Entering the valley via Manali will ensure that you can include Chandratal as well in your trip. Take a look at this article please.

We are taking a Fortuner – will we need additinal Sparewheels or a Fuel Can ?
Do we need any permits if all are indian nationals
Are the places selected for night halts OK ?
is there a way where one can stay at the monasteries ?
ANy idea on how to do booking at Chandratal ?

Any places or experiences on the way that we should not miss

Iam also ok incase you do a exhaustive itinerary planning with some fees.

Day 1 – Chandigarh – Narkanda
Day 2 – Narkanda to Sarahan
Day 3 – Sarahan to Chitkul
Day 4 – Chitkul to Kalpa
Day 5 – Kalpa to Nako
Day 6 – Nako to Mud Village (Pin Valley)
Day 7 – Mud to Kaza
Day 8 – Kaza – Kibber – Komik – Hikkim – Langza – Kaza
Day 9 – Kaza to Chandratal
Day 10 – Chandratal to Manali to Chandigarh
Day 11 – Buffer day for just in case situations

You will not need to carry spare wheels or fuel cans, just ensure that you get a tank full at Reckong Peo once you start from Kalpa to Nako and then again at Kaza before starting towards Chandratal. For a list of petrol pumps en route, please take a look at this post.

Contact Jamaica at 9418200183. He runs a camp site at Chandratal called Jamaica’s camps. In case you are not able to reach him, just drop a message on watsapp and he will call you back. In case you are not able to establish contact, just go to Chandratal, look for Jamaica’s camps, give my reference and he will take good care of you. There is no phone reception at Chandratal so advance booking kind of becomes a problem.

Dear Vargis planning to go in 1st week of Sept. We have a Thar. What tyres should i go for; Geolander not good with weak sidewalls. Pls recommend some really good hotels and camps ; this is a lifetime experience. Looking at 11 night trip what would be the best itinerary. Circuit is Chandigarh-Kaza-Manali. Thanks

Hello Amit Bhai – I am a Thar owner myself and have taken it to Spiti twice every since I bought it in 2015. I did not have any problem at all with stock tires, you do not really need to change as such. Imagine this, people travel to Spiti in a hatchback and Sedan so tires of a Thar are the last thing you need to worry about.

You have 11 days from Chandigarh to Chandigarh? You just want to cover Manali to Spiti, not the entire circuit to Shimla?

We are planning next year june 3rd week to visit kaza via shimla-sangla-kalpa-tabo and return via manali- kullu from Kolkata . We are 6 person (3 family and a 3 year old child). I want some suggestion from your end regarding this matter that

1. Is it safe to travel with 3 year old child in this region.
2.What type of clothes and accessories should we pack.
3.Normal drinking water is safe or we have to carry mineral water in this total tour.
4.What type dry foods should we carry with us .
5.How much cost per person in this tour.(lower-mid budget tour).
6. This time is ok for this journey.

1. Yes but do not spend a night at Chandratal to avoid any possible chance of your child suffering from AMS. Protect him/her from cold, sun burns etc and you will be Ok.
2. Please take a look at the article below.
.http://vargiskhan.com/log/clothes-for-spiti-trip-pack/
3. Water there is Ok to drink but if you are really concerned about it then carry mineral water. Water up there can be a bit hard on weak stomach actually.
4. Totally your call. It is not really required at all.
5. A trip by car for 9-10 days staying at budget hotels for 6 people would cost about 25-30k minimum.
6.. Time is Ok.

Just the basic stuff Avijit Bhai. Carry a good sunblock lotion with highest SPF that you can find. Try Lotus, it is good. Carry a thick heavy windproof jacket, a cold cream, lip balm, a monkey cap, some basic medicines for headache, stomach ache, fever etc and you will be OK.

Route to Sarahan from Jyori is a perfect winding tarred road. It’s almost a joy ride with a heavenly view of the stars spread above and an aerial view of the shimmering lights of the valley below……some of the route mentioned for going to Kaza and lkunzum pass seems not really a part of the route but just other direction travel

Thanks Suj for letting us know that the road to Sarahan has reopened. When did you travel? And yes you are right, some of the roads arent exactly Spiti. Person who sent me the updates travelled across Himachal including Dalhousie and Spiti routes both.